Phillipa Cobb  Before Inception
by Nicky Mageau
Summary: CAUTION-*SPOILERS!* this a prolouge to Inception, from Phillipa's point of view. It uses my personal theory-that Mal made the right decision by jumping out the window, she and Dom were still in a dream. Inception epilouge included sorry for update lack
1. The Pain my Dad Causes

Phillipa Cobb – age nine

* * *

I took another step up the staircase. Ariadne's staircase; a never ending square of steps. It's just like my pain, the pain I have because of my father. Mom says I shouldn't hurt. He's not really gone, she says. You can see him any time you want, she says. Step. Each step means something, something more than a movement: it's like another hole in my heart or one more flaw in my soul.

I guess Mummy is right, in a way. Dad's not really _dead_, I guess. He's closer to being ... livingly challenged. He's alive, but not the way we are alive. I can go into his room any time I want, to talk to him and hug him. But I also must go in sometimes when I would rather stay downstairs. I must go in to feed him and change his waste bags. It is like nursing him in a hospital sometimes. It's very scary.

When my parents were young, they went into a shared dream, simply for the pleasure. Well, they ended up falling into Limbo, the deepest dream state. My dad knew that they needed to die in Limbo to wake up here, in the real world. He told my mom, and they killed themselves by lying down under a moving train. When they woke up, my mom knew someone had put them under again, that they were still dreaming. On my parents' anniversary, she jumped out of a hotel window to wake up. My dad didn't jump, he thought he was already awake, and he fell to Limbo again.

My mom was brave regardless. She moved my dad to their bedroom, still hooked to the machine, and there he has remained for the last six years. Mom says he will soon be old enough to die in the dream, and then he will wake up. We all hope so. In the meantime, she's called other people who work in the field of dreams to try and wake my father up. Ariadne is our architect. She designs the dream settings they use in my dad's head. Arthur and Eames, I'm unsure what they do. Mom won't tell me – she says I'd try to learn to be like them. I'm already designing with Ariadne, so Mom's probably right. Yusuf, Saito, and Robert just got here today. Mom says they're going to go into Daddy's dreams and try to wake him up. This time they have a lot of people. It might work, because they're going to try something different. They're going to go in and pretend he'shelping them on a new job, when, really, the job is to insert an idea into his head. Mummy says this is called 'Inception.'


	2. Waking Up and Going Under

Phillipa Cobb – age nine

* * *

"Phillipa!" My mom shouted into the phone, interrupting my dream. "Phillipa, how many times do i have to tell you? Never, _ever _go into a dream like this alone. I'm going to give you the Kick right now." I sighed. Ariadne came up with what she and Mummy call the Brilliant Plan. Usually, there is a music player installed that plays in the dream to warn dreamers about Kicks. Ariadne customized a machine, and put a phone where that should be. Now, people can interrupt my dreams, talk to me in them. It will help us soon, though, because she's going to put one in Daddy's dream. Soon, I'd be able to talk to my father for the first time since I was three.

Suddenly, I fell off the top of Ariadne's staircase. When I should have hit the ground, though, I found myself staring up at two very angry ladies from my own bed at home. My little brother, James, was also there, but he didn't look mad at all. He looked scared, and I knew he was. It was for a good reason, too. "James!" I raised my fist to the seven-year-old. "I told you not to tell! You _promised_! Yeah, that's right, get your sorry little butt out of my room!" he bolted for the door.

"Phillipa, I don't even know where to start." Mummy sank onto my mattress. Ariadne followed, all anger drained from her face. She pulled me into her lap, and I allowed for it. Mummy watched carefully as Ariadne removed the little needle from my arm. She had become very much like a big sister to me. "What if you'd gotten hurt, Phillipa?" Mom asked me.

"Well, then I would have been hurt. And I'd have stayed there until my time was up." Obviously. Just going into a dream to practice building, how dangerous was that? It would be nearly impossible to fall to Limbo that way. I didn't see any issues with it. But Mummy had been very over-protective when it comes to dreams, ever since Daddy ... left.

"Mal, I know it's really not my place," Ariadne spoke up for me. "but there really aren't many dangers in this sort of dream. As long as she was using a maze I already tested. You were, right, Philly?" Ariadne hugged me a little. I nodded, I really had. We'd tested it together earlier today, but I wanted to spend some more time at the staircase. Alone. The staircases were always my favorite parts of the mazes. You would walk up the staircases, but they kept moving around so that you would walk in a square until you figured it out and made them let you down. They're very good for thinking on.

Mummy smiled a very small smile. "I guess you're right, Ariadne. But there is no excuse for yelling at your brother like that." I sighed. I'd hoped she'd forget about that part. "I think your brother will get to choose the television show for the rest of the day today." My jaw dropped.

"But Mummy!" I flapped my arms to emphasize. "The _Hannah Montana _season finale is on tonight!" she nodded her head in a way that very clearly said, 'exactly.' I frowned angrily at her.

"Phillipa, it's alright, I just might have something even better to entertain you tonight." Ariadne smiled broadly. I gasped. "Yes, today is the day we go under again. I have to go now, actually." She hugged both my mom and I. "We'll be back at ten o'clock. Mal, could you give us our last kick at ten? But play the music at nine fifty."

"Of course, Ariadne. Thank you all so much for what you are doing. I know it's dangerous, you all could end up like ... like Dom." Mummy whispers brokenly. I hoped they would bring my Daddy back tonight. We could be a family again. What a wish, for a nine year old girl. To wish for her father.


	3. Final Attempt

Phillipa Cobb – age thirteen

* * *

Arthur's eyes popped open, and the silence didn't even last a full second before we all pounced. Questions were flung at him. "Where's Dad?" "Is he coming back?" "How old is he?" And then Mom, quiet until now, asked "Did you give him the idea?"

Arthur looked very nervous as he gestured for us all to sit. Mom and James sat on the bed, but I rested on my Dad's lap. "He has the idea. Inception was completed." Arthur begins, and we all sigh of relief. "But we are going to need Phillipa and James to go under." I leaped up, followed closely by James. We were more than ready to go down and see our father. I was already pulling on one of the needles, but Mom put her hand out to stop me. "This isn't going to be easy, but it's our only hope. He will have to kill himself once, to get to the third dream level. There, you two will be waiting. He will come and hug you and believe that he is fully awake. During that time, Ariadne will be at the safe within the dream, and she will destroy his thoughts of suicide. After that, I will give you all a kick from level two, and Saito will give us one from level one. At the end, Mal, you will give us our final Kick. It's the only way, but we only have one shot. Your Dad will die if we do not complete this in time."

Mom looked taken aback. "Why are we risking it?" she cried helplessly. Arthur sighed, also looking depressed. My Dad was, _is_ his best friend.

"Because he will also die if we don't do this. He will keep falling back to Limbo, and die there an old man. It is better for us to at least try, Mal, don't you agree?" Mom swallowed hard and nodded carefully. "Now, kids," Arthur turned to us solemnly. "Now is the time. You must go under now. Everything is already in place. We have twenty minutes here, so four hours in the dream." James looked more uncertain than I, but we were ready. "Mal, not to worry. Go and prepare the house for your family to return." Arthur hugged my Mom tightly, and she left after kissing each James and I on the head.

"Good luck, sweethearts," she whispered to us gently. We nodded. Arthur motioned towards the two empty chairs, a wobbly armchair and one from the kitchen table. Ariadne and Saito were both on the outdoor-style couch already, and my Dad was, as usual, in his chair. I allowed James the more comfortable chair and positioned myself in the wooden one. Arthur quickly handed us each needles, and at the same time, we hooked ourelves up. 'Ready?' he mouthed. I nodded and shut my eyes.


	4. Limbo

Phillipa Cobb – age thirteen

* * *

I was suddenly surrounded by an extremely vivid image of some sort of office. Maybe a bank? A large vault made up one wall; through the glass doors I could see three desks, each followed by a long line up of people. No! I mentally hit myself. Not people, projections. I turned to Arthur at the same time as James. "Why is everything so realistic?" we asked in unison. He smiled knowingly.

"It's because a sedative has just been given to you. Don't worry," he rushed to rid me of the frightened look on my face. "You are in no danger. You will still feel the kicks. Remember Yusuf? He created this. And as long as you make sure to remind yourself you are dreaming, you should be just fine." I nodded. Arthur sat posed to go under. "When that timer goes off," he motioned towards a kitchen timer on the table next to him, "collapse the table, okay? Oh, and when it's down to one minute, press this button for music. Understand?"

It wouldn't have mattered if we did or not. Arthur was asleep. James began avidly watching the timer. I opened my mouth to remind him not to draw attention to himself, but I thought better of it. It would only anger him, he thought himself old enough to remind himself. I was afraid of being mauled to death by my Dad's subconscious while Arthur, Ariadne and him were sleeping. My way of passing the time was to think of everyone who had come in the past to try and help in reviving my father. Eames, Nash, Saito, Yusuf, Robert and Maurice were the ones who stuck most in my memory. Probably because they were the ones helping with the first inception. Ariadne and Arthur, of course, were still my most prominent memories. Nash was pretty high up there, too, even though he left when I was six. Ariadne took over then. I remember that day clearest of all.

I was sitting on my bed in my room, clinging to a stuffed elephant and sulking about Nash leaving us. Thinking back, he had given up a lot to help us, his wife and kids back home missed him a lot, too. My mom was calling me downstairs to meet the new architect, and I ignored her. Eventually, Ariadne came up to greet me herself. I remember her easing the door open very carefully, and tiptoeing to stand next to my bed. I looked up at her, and my first thought was 'wow, she's pretty. maybe she'll play with me sometime.' I felt immediately at ease in her presence. She smiled at me, and I stood up to hug her right away. She became very much like a big sister to me from the very first day, all thoughts of Nash totally forgotten.

I heard the music for a kick and jolted up, only to realize James was playing it to signal to the others that we would soon drop them. "Get into position, Phillipa!" James gestured to one leg of the tall collapsable table. "When I say now, drop this latch here, and the table will fall." I looked at the bodies laid out. Arthur, Ariadne and my dad. Things probably would have gone better if my mom were down here, but my dad could get freaked out too quickly and stab or shoot her. That wouldn't improve our chances.

"Now!" James shouted. I dropped the table then jumped to my feet before the three people, looking to see if my dad would wake up with everyone else.


	5. Level Three

Phillipa Cobb - age thirteen

* * *

"Dad!" I screamed, rushing to hug him. He stared into my eyes with the most dumbfounded expression I'd ever seen a man wear. "...Phillipa?..." he reached out to touch my face. I glanced confusedly towards Arthur and Ariadne, who both stepped forwards knowingly.

"Remember," Arthur whispered, "Last time Dom saw you, you were three." Everything pieced together, the reason behind 'taking it slow' grew clearer, James appeared even more confused. He hadn't even been two yet the last time dad was awake. I realized James couldn't remember what our father's eyes looked like ... couldn't remember his voice, the way he moved or the warmth of his hugs. James had never really had a father, and the feeling behind the steps he was now taking towards our dad were so overwhelming, I couldn't handle it.

Arthur began to explain things to dad. "Listen, Dom. This is going to be hard for you." He breathed deeply. "This really is Phillipa. This boy is your son. These are your kids. And waiting, just a few levels up, is Mal. Your wife. You have been in Limbo for the last ten years." My father tensed, standing and backing up.

"No. No, Arthur, Mal ... Mal killed herself. Please, _please_ don't try and tell me she's alive." Ariadne restrained both James and I from running to dad, her hold strong but not harmful. Tears streamed freely down my face.

"Dom, if you don't believe me anyway, what's the harm in just dreaming with me? Come on." James and I understood how confused dad was now, and that we had to convince him to jump out the window. He already was thinking about it, all we had to do was give him a good reason. I whispered in Ariadne's ear my plan. She nodded, signaling to Arthur that everyting was okay.

"James!" I hissed. "Follow me!" Quick as a flash, I ran to the window. James joined me not a second later. "Dad!" I shouted, feigning anger. "You left us alone for ten years. Ten years was too long for me. I don't want to be alone anymore." And I jumped, whether my dad would fall for this was the only thought rushing through my head.


End file.
